After seeing all the complaints on here I decided to try something different this year and bought 2 60ltr sacks of Westland+ mpc from Range. £10 for 2. It says it is 50%peat and 50% West+ wood fibre. It's lovely stuff, rich and dark and crumbly, just like the cheap ones used to be. I know it contains peat, but the other stuff just wasn't good enough for my plants. No point in spending a lot of money on plants for pots then killing them off in rubbish compost. Just wish I had more room to make enough of my own. I bought Westlands 'Surestart' seed and cutting compost as well and that looks better than the last bag I had from B&Q.
I have been seiving my home made compost these days, and though it LOOKS quite chipper, I have a sneaking feeling that there's more to compost than looks ! I really MUST get my act together and do these ph tests. The tester I bought, a metal rod for 'prodding ' the soill and like a soothe sayer, would incant the ph of the soil, was a complete non-starter. The indicator on the guage remained vigilant, but still, motionless and without interest ! It is now a label holder somewhere in the lotty !
There has been an article in the Guardian within the last two weeks comparing various composts: a bit of a search online might find it. My favourite, Horizon peat-free multipurpose, came out well.
I've been using Verve from B&Q this year, and it's been ok. There was a spilled bag from the pallet from which I took my first lot, and that looked good, so I felt safe. I'm sieving it for seed sowing, as it does have some bitty bits in it, but having sown into fifty 3" pots this afternoon, after sieving, I had less than one 6" shallow pot of 'rubbish', which will be fine after time in my compost bin.
I've used it for all my seed sowing as well as big flower pots. All the flowers are doing well, and apart from Orange Winner marigolds, which I've decided was a duff packet, all the seeds have done well.
I've also used in it my half-barrels for peas and beans and the peas are doing very well. The beans are suffering from the weather and being almost drowned, so I can't blame the compost for that.
Miracle Gro, on the other hand, was a disaster for me two season ago, and I had to begin again from scratch after non-germination of almost 90% of sowing.
Posts
After seeing all the complaints on here I decided to try something different this year and bought 2 60ltr sacks of Westland+ mpc from Range. £10 for 2. It says it is 50%peat and 50% West+ wood fibre. It's lovely stuff, rich and dark and crumbly, just like the cheap ones used to be. I know it contains peat, but the other stuff just wasn't good enough for my plants. No point in spending a lot of money on plants for pots then killing them off in rubbish compost. Just wish I had more room to make enough of my own. I bought Westlands 'Surestart' seed and cutting compost as well and that looks better than the last bag I had from B&Q.
A couple of people on another site have plants showing signs of aminopyralid poisoning after using Wickes compost
.
Had to google aminopyralid poisoning.
Glad I didn't buy any, I'd be doing me nut right now.
I feel safe with the Westlands stuff.
I have been seiving my home made compost these days, and though it LOOKS quite chipper, I have a sneaking feeling that there's more to compost than looks ! I really MUST get my act together and do these ph tests. The tester I bought, a metal rod for 'prodding ' the soill and like a soothe sayer, would incant the ph of the soil, was a complete non-starter. The indicator on the guage remained vigilant, but still, motionless and without interest ! It is now a label holder somewhere in the lotty !
Blast ! 'i' before 'e', except after 'c'. No wonder I can't get the compost right !
SIEVE ! not seive ! mutter mutter mutter !
There has been an article in the Guardian within the last two weeks comparing various composts: a bit of a search online might find it. My favourite, Horizon peat-free multipurpose, came out well.
Joe
I meant New Horizon
To Joe and peteballan
the edit function is working-so you can change your posting without having to admit making a mistake- and no-one will ever know
But I will know !!!!!!!!!!
I've been using Verve from B&Q this year, and it's been ok. There was a spilled bag from the pallet from which I took my first lot, and that looked good, so I felt safe. I'm sieving it for seed sowing, as it does have some bitty bits in it, but having sown into fifty 3" pots this afternoon, after sieving, I had less than one 6" shallow pot of 'rubbish', which will be fine after time in my compost bin.
I've used it for all my seed sowing as well as big flower pots. All the flowers are doing well, and apart from Orange Winner marigolds, which I've decided was a duff packet, all the seeds have done well.
I've also used in it my half-barrels for peas and beans and the peas are doing very well. The beans are suffering from the weather and being almost drowned, so I can't blame the compost for that.
Miracle Gro, on the other hand, was a disaster for me two season ago, and I had to begin again from scratch after non-germination of almost 90% of sowing.